This lengthy post will tell you everything you ever needed to know about
making the PERFECT New York Sour Rye Bread (tastes just like we used to
buy in Brooklyn, bring home warm and slather with butter). It is from
"Secrets of a Jewish Baker" by George Greenstein. If you add charnushka
(black caraway) seeds, it becomes Russian Rye.
"We make the sour at our leisure and refrigerate it at any stage in its
development. The first time sour is made, it is begun with a starter.
After that, enough is always left behind to begin the next batch.
Starter (Prepare 48 hours in advance)
Caraway seeds can be ground in a coffee or spice grinder or with a
mortar and pestle. In the bakery we crush the seeds with a rolling
pin. The crushed seeds disappear in the ferment and add a distinctive
flavor to the sour. The minced onion helps to hasten the fermentation
and adds flavor.
1/2 cup rye flour
1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast (see Note*)
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon crushed caraway seeds (optional)
1 teaspoon minced onion
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix until smooth. The
mixture should have a thin, soupy consistency. Cover and allow to stand
in a warm spot until bubbly and fermented. It can be left up to 24
hours.
*Note: Save the rest of the packet for the first dough.
Rye Sour, Deyeloping and Fortifying In making sour use approximately
3/4 to 1 cup flour to each 1/2 cup water. (Notice that Stage One calls
for a higher ratio. This is done to adjust for the initial consistency
of the starter.) The object is to make a thick consistency as close as
possible to that of a soft dough. It is not necessary to thicken to the
point that the mixing becomes burdensome. If the mixture is too soupy,
add more flour 1/4 cup at a time. Mix until smooth.
Stage One (Prepare 24 hours in advance)
1/2 cup water
1 1/4 cups rye flour
All ofthe Starter, above
1/4 cup rye flour for sprinkling
In a large bowl or container, combine the water, 1 1/4 cups of the
flour, and the Starter; stir until smooth. The dough should pull
slightly and may start to come away from sides of the bowl. Wipe down
the sides of the bowl with wet hands or a bowl scraper. Sprinkle 1/4 cup
flour over the entire surface of the sour. Let stand, covered with a
cloth or clear plastic wrap, until doubled in size and the floured top
appears cracked with fissures spread widely apart. This may take 4 to 8
hours. Avoid letting the sour collapse.
Stage Two Ifa double recipe is desired, this can be increased to 1 cup
warm water and 2 cups rye flour.
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup rye flour
To the Stage One sour add the water and 3/4 cup of the flour; mix until
smooth. Wipe down the sides of the bowl. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4
cup flour over the entire surface of the sour. Allow to rise in a warm
area 4 to 8 hours. Proceed with Stage Three.
As the sour begins to rise, you can refrigerate it at any stage for
later use or overnight for mixing the following day. Refrigeration
retards the rate of growth of the sour, which continues to rise slowly.
Whenever time permits, I prefer to make two stages the day before,
refrigerating the second stage overnight and preparing the third stage
the morning of baking. If the dough is to be mixed first thing in the
morning, the third stage is prepared the evening before, so it can rise
slowly all night and be ready in the morning.
Stage Three
1/2 cup water (see Note*)
1 cup rye flour, or more
To the Stage Two sour add the water and the 1 cup flour. Mix until
smooth. Additional flour can be added to attain a dough-like
consistency. The sour, when fully risen in Stage Three, is ready for
use in the dough. When the third stage is mixed, set aside 1/4 to 1/2
cup and refrigerate in a covered container with a light film of cold
water floated over the top. I have kept sour under refrigeration for
months at a time.
*Note: Use warm water if the sour has been refrigerated.
It is best to stir down the starter every 3 to 4 days if unused.
Periodically (every 10 to 12 days) dispose of half and refresh it by
mixing in equal amounts of flour and water. If there is some
discoloration on the top, it can safely be skimmed off and the sour used
as normal. When going away for long periods of time, I freeze a small
amount of sour. When preparing a new starter from scratch, I add the
frozen sour to preserve my original culture. To ensure the proper
strength of the sour, in each stage you can only double the amount of
starter you begin with. For example, if beginning with 1/4 cup starter,
you can add up to 1/2 cup water plus flour to thicken. If Stage One
contains 1 cup sour, Stage Two can be prepared with up to 2 cups water
plus flour. If a large amount of sour is required, extra stages can be
added.
Sometimes the process goes awry. Perhaps there is insufficient sour
left to start the next batch, or the sour might have been forgotten and
was left standing to get old or dry. There is a remedy. The bakers
call it an einfrisch, meaning to refresh. A small amount of sour is
thinned down with water to a soupy consistency. Swishing 1/4 cup water
around in what remains clinging to the sides of the empty bowl can yield
enough to restart the sour. Let this einfrisch stand, covered, at room
temperature or in a warm spot until bubbly. If desperate, add a pinch
ofyeast. When ready, add enough flour to make a first stage, allow to
rise, and proceed with two more stages.
Sour Rye Bread
This is real Jewish rye bread, written by a Jewish baker, made for the
most demanding audience in the world, the New York consumer. This bread
transcends its ethnic boundaries due to its universal appeal. To my
knowledge an authentic version of this recipe has never been published.
Bakers, like chefs, are reluctant to part with their recipes and
invariably try to hold something back. Few breads offer such a distinct
flavor coupled with a unique crust. The secret of great rye bread
is the sour, or ferment, that gives the bread its outstanding
qualities. Sour is the product of the controlled fermentation of rye
nour and water. Once it is begun, the baker always saves a small amount
of sour each time he or she bakes. This becomes the starter to begin
the next batch.
Sour Rye Bread is made up of water, flour, yeast, and salt. There is no
sugar or fat added to this pure bread. Rye bread is ideal for deli
sandwiches and as an accompaniment to meat dishes. It is excellent with
cheese. A favorite of mine is cream cheese and olives on rye toast. A
real Jewish treat (high in cholesterol) used to be a roast beef sandwich
on rye with Bermuda onion and chicken fat (shmaltz). My grandmother
would take afternoon tea with toasted rye that had the crust rubbed with
garlic while still warm. She lived well into her nineties and I always
attributed it to the tea and garlic, but now I firmly believe that it
was the rye bread.
1 cup warm water
1 package active dry yeast
3 cups Rye Sour
1/2 cup altus (optional, see *Note)
4 to 5 cups common flour (see *Note)
3 teaspoons salt
Rye flour, for dusting work top
Oil, for greasing bowl
1/2 tablespoon caraway seeds, or more to taste (optional)
Cornstarch solution (see *Note) or water, for brushing leaves
In a large bowl dissolve the yeast in the warm water and add the sour.
Add the altus, if desired. Without stirring add 3 cups of the flour and
salt. Gently stir the dry ingredients with your fingertips to
incorporate, then stir with a wooden spoon, adding more flour as
necessary until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.
Turn out the dough onto a floured work surface and knead. If the dough
is moist and sticky, add more flour 1/4 cup at a time. Knead until the
dough feels soft and silky (5 to 8 minutes). Rye dough will be softer
than usual and tend to feel sticky. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl
and turn several times to coat. Cover and allow to rest for 15 to 20
minutes. Punch down, sprinkle with the caraway seeds (if desired).
Shaping Shape the balls into 2 free-standing pan loaves. Place on a
rye flour- or commeal-dusted baking sheet. In the bakery we proof the
leaves and bake them on the oven hearth using a wooden peel. Cover and
allow to rise until doubled in size. Brush with the cornstarch
solution, then cut 3 horizontal slashes on the top of each loaf.
Baking Bake with steam in a preheated 375 degree F oven until tapping
the bottom with your fingertips produces a hollow sound (35 to 45
minutes). The top and sides should feel hard to the touch. Brush again
with the cornstarch solution, then let cool on a wire rack.
Yield Makes 2 loaves.
*Notes:
Altus -- is European in origin, and little known outside of the bakery
establishment. New- comers to the bakery think of it as a method of
using up stale bread. However, as with many old-fashioned techniques,
bakers find that it enhances the desirable qualities of certain breads.
Its use seems to have begun in the making of pumpernickel doughs, and
the best of these breads often contain altus. Altus is a mash made by
slicing and trimming the crusts from leftover sour rye bread, soaking
the trimmed bread in water for several hours or overnight under
refrigeration, squeezing it dry, and adding small amounts to the bread
dough. Altus intensifies the distinctive flavor of pumpernickel and rye
bread and helps them retain moisture. When using altus, allow for a
little extra flour in the recipe. The mash keeps well, covered, in the
refrigerator.
Common flour -- called first clear or clear flour, must be obtained from
a bakery. You can substitute 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus 3/4 cup
cake flour, but the bread won't taste as good. 2 cups Rye Sour can be
used instead of 3 cups for a milder taste.
Cornstarch solution is used before slashing the top of the bread and
placing it in the oven. Bring 1 cup water to boil, dissolve 2
tablespoons cornstarch in 1/4 cup cold water; then whisk into the
boiling water until it thickens. This solution may be kept for several
days. For a high shine, brush a second time as soon as the bread
emereges from the oven.
Variations
Onion Rye -- Omit the caraway seeds. Knead Onion Filling and Topping
into the dough immediately after mixing. The tops of the shaped loaves
should be rolled in additional onion topping before the final rise.
Marble Rye -- 1/2 recipe Sour Rye Bread, unbaked +1/2 recipe
Pumpernickel Bread, unbaked
Cut each dough in half. Flatten out with your hands or a small rolling
pin. Place one pum- pernickel half on top of a rye half. Shape jelly
roll fashion into a short loaf. For further variety, shape the second
loafwith the pumpernickel on the bottom. This will yield 2 combination
breads, 1 rye witTh pumpernickel swirled inside and the other a brown
bread with the rye inside.
Cocktail Rye -- This can be served plain or with either or both ofthe
fillings and toppings below. Fillings: Caraway seeds, Onion Filling
and Topping
Knead one of the fillings into the dough after mixing. Roll the dough
into thin baguette shapes about 1 inch in diameter and 12 inches long.
Roll the tops in fillings before the final rise. Toppings: Caraway
seeds with Kosher salt, Onion Filling and Topping or Kosher salt
In the bakery we use pretzel salt; coarser than Kosher salt, it does not
dissolve into the crust when baked. If pretzel salt cannot be found
through your usual sources, try a bagelshop.
Sour Rye Bread (Food Processor, Steel Blade)
Instead of 1 cup warm water use:
1/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup ice water
In the work bowl sprinkle the yeast over the warm water; stir to
dissolve. Add the sour and mix until absorbed. Add the altus, if
desired. Add the ice water, then mix in 1 cup of the flour and the
salt. Next, mix in 3 cups of the flour, 1 cup at a time. Pulse until
the dough tries to form up on top ofthe blade. More flour can be
added 1/4 cup at a time if the dough is too soft. Keep in mind that
this dough will be softer than usual. Process for 2 to 3 minutes. If
necessary divide the dough in half and process each half separately,
then knead together. Do not overmix or the dough will get too hot.
Shape the dough into 2 balls, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes.
Proceed as in Shaping and Baking, above. Yield: Makes 2 loaves.
Sour Rye Bread (Dough-Mixing Machine, flat Beater)
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 package active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups Rye Sour
3/4 cup altus (optional)
6 to 7 1/2 cups common flour (see *Note)
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
Rye flour, for dusting worktop
Oil, for greasing bowl
2 teaspoons caraway seeds, or more (optional)
Cornstarch solution or water, for brushing loaves
In the mixing bowl sprinkle the yeast over the warm water to soften;
stir to dissolve. Add the Rye Sour, altus (ifdesired), flour, salt, and
caraway seeds (if desired). Pulse with the on/ off switch until all is
absorbed so that the flour is not thrown out of the bowl. Run at the
first speed until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. More
flour can be added 1/4 cup at a time if the dough is too soft.
Remove and scrape down the beater and insert the dough hook. Run at the
first speed until the dough forms up on the hook and comes away from the
sides of the bowl (5 to 8 minutes) . Tum out the dough and shape into
3 balls. Cover and let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Proceed as in
Shaping and Baking, above. Yield: Makes 3 loaves.
*Note: You can substitute 5 cups all-purpose flour plus 1 cup cake
flour but the bread won't taste as good. 3 cups Rye Sour can be used
instead of4 1/2 cups, for a milder flavor. "